


Discreet Lines of the Poet

by Star_flaming



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Secret Marriage, more accurately kylo-didn't-know-about-it-but-everyone-else-did marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 01:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6175813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_flaming/pseuds/Star_flaming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>kink meme de-anon for the prompt: "While it's not often discussed on the Finalizer, Hux is actually married--it was an arranged marriage, of course, as befitting the officer/general of the First Order, suiting both parties' class and status.</p>
<p>One day, Hux's wife comes aboard the Finalizer to visit him. Kylo is both horrified ('she married Hux out of all people?' 'Hux is married?'), intrigued (as to what kind of woman would willingly marry Hux, or at least, agree to an arranged marriage with Hux, because come on it's General Hux he's talking about), and maybe a little jealous, although the last part is a little startling to himself as well."</p>
<p>AKA Kylo Ren didn't know Hux was married and doesn't trust Mrs. Hux on sheer principle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Discreet Lines of the Poet

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from Austen's Mansfield Park: "I consider the blessing of a wife as most justly described in those discreet lines of the poet—'Heaven's last best gift.'"
> 
> The prompt and original fill are here: http://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/3467.html?thread=6712459#cmt6712459

Kylo had never seen Hux so…well, not _happy_ but something close to it. He was almost excited and Kylo had no idea why. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting going on. But the General’s pleased aura was pulsing through the rest of the command staff, it seemed, and Kylo’s attempts to divine what caused it weren’t turning anything up. It seemed as if out of nowhere, they had just suddenly gotten happy. 

There was no one to ask, and Kylo’s pride wouldn’t let him ask anyway, even if there were someone. Instead, he trailed behind Hux when the General abandoned his post at hearing of a hailing craft, following him to the main hangar, where a clean elegant ship was setting down. There was nothing special about it, really. “I haven’t heard of any visitors,” said Kylo, relishing in how the man jumped.

“This visitor is not anyone you need to concern yourself with, Lord Ren,” said Hux, valiantly making up for how he had been startled. The General didn’t even look away from the ship, and as the gangplank lowered, he stepped forward to meet whoever was coming off that ship. Kylo watched, wondering who could be coming to make Hux so oddly happy when he had been alarmingly close to a low-sentience droid when it came to human emotions. And double that, who would be coming aboard that Kylo, the co-commander of the vessel, wasn’t informed of and whom it apparently _didn’t concern?_

The answer was, he saw, a woman with mousy brown hair and large brown eyes. She wore civilian clothing all in shades of green, a spot of color in the grey of the hangar, and in her arms carried an orange cat. Behind her a maid in smart black was carrying off luggage, and Kylo reeled to see this woman and to feel the _fondness_ rolling off Hux to see her.

“Geraldine,” greeted the General, actual warmth in his tone as he went to her, bending to press a _kiss_ to her forehead, careful not to disturb the cat in her arms. “It’s been too long.”

“It most certainly has, Brendol,” she returned, her voice brimming with happiness and her mind radiating something alarmingly like love. “Now are you going to take Millicent and I to where we’ll be staying or should Wena start unpacking out here in the hangar?” A smile grew on Hux’s face as he wrapped his arm about her waist and began to lead her away. The maid, Wena, followed behind, carrying Geraldine’s luggage and likely her own. No one woman could own that much clothing, surely.

As they walked, they passed Kylo, and Geraldine stopped, looking to Hux who said with only a single reprimanding thought towards Kylo to behave, “Geraldine, this is Lord Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke’s apprentice and Master of the Knights of Ren. Ren, this is my wife, Geraldine Hux.”

Hux’s _wife?_ He was _married?_ Who on earth would marry him? He was a stone cold protocol droid disguised as a human, who’d let their daughter marry that? This woman with her green dress and her orange cat didn’t belong here, not on the _Finalizer_ not tucked into Hux’s arm. The gold band around her finger, the tasteful engagement ring just below the wedding band, they stood out impossibly against her skin, much more tan than her husband, they stared Kylo in the face and screamed at him that no, Hux wasn’t lying, this woman was his wife, they were _married—_

“I’ve heard so much about you, my lord,” said Geraldine, completely unaware of the short circuiting going on in Kylo’s head and the strange loss of his stomach. “It’s an honor to meet the Supreme Leader’s apprentice.”

Kylo only just managed to bow his head in acknowledgement before Hux began to lead her away again. He watched them go with his mind still unable to really process that the stick-up-the-arse General was _married_ and listened as he faintly heard Geraldine say, “You’re being rude, Brendol, I barely had a chance to say a word to him!”

He tried his best to reconcile the situation for the rest of the day, but Mrs. Geraldine Hux just didn’t make _sense._ Her whole existence didn’t fit with how Kylo understood the world, and the great fondness that had pulsed off the General to see her didn’t fit either. This, he decided, required much more thought.

Settling down to meditate, he cast his mind out over the ship, and found Geraldine in Hux’s quarters with Wena. Where else would she be? Hux had gone back to his post, and she was so proud of her husband for being so dedicated, he could feel that. The orange cat, Millicent, was wandering the rooms and rubbing herself against every surface to spread her scent and claim it as hers, and yet returned willingly to Geraldine’s arms when she cooed towards the creature. Wena was unpacking, clothes befitting a General of the First Order’s wife and seeming unbelievably extravagant in comparison to the uniforms onboard no matter how tasteful and smart they were. There was also a bed for Millicent, dishes for her food and drink, tins of tea and an elegant tea set, things that seemed so wildly out of place on the ship that Kylo nearly retreated for seeing them at all.

But it was Geraldine herself he wanted to sense, not whatever she had brought. This woman who had married Hux, who was she? What was she hiding beneath that warm smile and soft eyes? No one was truly like that, in Kylo’s experience. She must be hiding something, why else would Hux bother with her? He wouldn’t have anyone less than worthy, she must be ruthless in the right situations, must be putting on a front on the ship to endear herself so she could listen in on goings-on and report back to her husband. Or something.

There was no way for him to tell that without actually delving into her mind and that was an obvious move. She’d be aware and she’d mention it to Hux and he’d make good on that threat and throw Kylo out of an airlock. He had gotten that much from that rebuke to behave. So he retreated, sure that he’d not be fooled by Geraldine Hux, no matter what act she put on.

\--------------------------

Kylo was on the bridge during his short shift that ensured his position as co-commander, enjoying intimidating the officers by his presence while Hux was off duty a little more than he ought, when the door opened and in came Hux, Geraldine’s arm through his. She was wearing blue that day, and looking around with great interest.

“General on the bridge!” someone announced, and everyone immediately stood to salute him.

“As you were,” dismissed Hux, his attention still on his wife. As the bridge relaxed, Geraldine’s eyes rested on Kylo and she pulled away from her husband to come over to where he was standing halfway in shadow.

“I barely got to say half a word to you yesterday,” she said, her voice halfway to laughing. “Brendol doesn’t like to be away from his post long, you see.”

“I am familiar,” said Kylo only. She must be trying something, being so friendly. “Your husband is very dedicated to his job.”

“Yes, I must say I feel like the other woman half the time, next to his work. I was going to offer that you join my husband and myself for tea sometime. Unless you would be more comfortable not removing the helmet. I certainly don’t want to make you do anything or ask anything of you that might make you uncomfortable.”

There was no way to respond to that. Kylo opened his mouth with the intent to politely decline when Hux came and touched Geraldine’s shoulder and said, “My dear, Lord Ren is actually on duty now, believe it or not.”

“Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry, my lord.” Her apology was sincere, far as Kylo could tell, and as she was led away to be shown the view of the stars, Kylo began to wonder about this odd woman. She seemed, at least on this most outer level, to be utterly sincere in her invitations and desire to make him comfortable, but he didn’t trust her. He had never once heard of Mrs. Geraldine Hux before she appeared on the ship, surely he was justified in being a little less than trusting of her.

The Hux couple left the bridge only a few minutes later, and when Kylo traced their path with his mind he found them in Hux’s quarters, Geraldine perched in Hux’s lap as she was held against his chest, savoring being close after so long apart. They were both so sickeningly in love that Kylo retreated quickly as he had come, not wanting to see such comfortable domesticity.

He also ignored the part of him that was oddly touched by how Geraldine simply relished her husband’s heartbeat, and locked away the part of him that was almost jealous that she could simply sit there and actually manage to keep Hux’s full attention even when she was doing nothing but listening to his heart beat and his lungs fill and deflate.

\--------------------

Geraldine was in purple that day, and was the absolute darling of the officer’s recreation room. Kylo liked to simply sit there and watch as people skittered around to give him a wide berth, how they suddenly remembered paperwork that simply couldn’t wait, or even valiantly tried to spend their freetime relaxing as normal. But when Geraldine entered, Millicent in her arms and Wena beside her, Kylo’s presence was entirely forgotten it seemed.

Lieutenant Mitaka was trying to flirt with Wena, and while Kylo rolled his eyes to see it at least Wena seemed receptive, blushing and giggling. Geraldine, for her part, was letting officers hold Millicent who seemed to be a very attention demanding cat and reveled in such affection being poured her way. And when she wasn’t passing her cat from one set of arms to the next she was speaking to every officer who had some sort of petty concern or question.

“Mrs. Hux, how are things back on Vand?” asked Colonel Yarrow, the man honestly seeming to be curious. “Is your family well?”

“They’re doing very well, thank you,” said Geraldine. She was honestly touched that someone would ask and Kylo wanted to be sick. “And, forgive my pride, but my and Brendol’s estate is doing well for itself too.”

“You’re a wonderful manager of your estate, there’s no pride in stating what is true.” Geraldine blushed at that, the red spreading across her whole face.

She was fairly plain, all things considered, but the officers seemed to adore her, and Kylo didn’t trust her all the more for that. There was no one person who could charm so many people, unless they were simply trying to curry favor with Hux by being friendly with his wife. Yes, that must be it.

“Oh, Lord Ren!” she said, noticing him and passing Millicent to the nearest set of arms as she came to him. “I wanted to apologize again for disturbing you while you were on duty. But I did want to ask, will you come to tea? Not today, I realize that’s too short of notice, but will you?”

Kylo regarded her, Geraldine Hux with her brown eyes and brown hair and her tasteful dress and tasteful amount of makeup, Geraldine Hux with her cat that liked nothing more than being held and showered with affection, Geraldine Hux with her apparently entirely sincere invitation, Geraldine Hux with every officer who was in the recreation room staring him down from behind her as if daring him to do anything to disappoint this woman and said, “I will. Will tomorrow suit?”

“Perfectly. Brendol and I usually have tea at 1630, I will see you then.” Her smile was so delighted and her mind was earnestly happy and Kylo found himself thinking that he’d very much like to keep her smiling like that before catching himself.

\--------------

Geraldine was preparing the tea herself, Wena apparently off with none but Lieutenant Mitaka, or so she said. It was some type of tea that was brewed only on Vand, that central planet that was home to so much of the Order’s highest ranking families. “If you find it too strong, I certainly have more types if it would suit you more,” she was saying, measuring out the leaves to steep. “This is Brendol’s favorite, would you prefer something else?”

“I don’t drink much tea, Mrs. Hux,” said Kylo, still listening to the edges of her mind for any proof that she wasn’t just this kind.

“Oh do call me Geraldine.” He simply bowed his head a moment, acknowledging the request. He really ought to remove the mask, he couldn’t possibly drink with it on. But not just yet.

“If you will forgive the personal question, how did you come to be married to the General?”

A smile crossed her face, and memories glanced past, caught by the proximity of his mind to hers. Hux, younger than he was now, smiling at her from across a dinner table, the glint of sunlight off a lake where they were walking, his hand taking hers. They were fond and nearly romantic and Kylo braced himself for whatever story would be told and was surprised to hear, “It was an arranged marriage, our fathers set it up. But love is a choice, my lord, and we choose each other every time. To be married on passion and to expect that first burst to carry you through, that will only end in sadness. But to be choose someone again and again, to put them first in your thoughts and heart and to keep putting them there, that’s what makes love last.”

Kylo remembered his parents, and thought about how they had been married on that first passion, and Geraldine seemed wise beyond her tender years, thinking of ships taking off towards different planets and the fledgling Senate needing constant attention and wondered if his parents hadn’t chosen the New Republic before each other. Biting his lip, he simply watched Geraldine set the tea to steep, trying to banish thoughts of a dead life that didn’t matter. Instead he found himself saying, “Working for love is admirable. My parents never seemed to bother with that.”

Geraldine turned to him at that, surprise painted across her features. He supposed it was surprise that he had actual parents, most people didn’t think of that. But a brush near her mind proved surprise that he trusted her enough to say anything, and Kylo wanted to prove her wrong on principle for that alone. Because he certainly didn’t trust her, surely she was turning around and telling her dear always-chosen husband everything that she heard. But her voice was so gentle and understanding when she spoke that he began to hope that that wasn’t the case.

“I’m sorry for that. Seeing your parents unhappy is something I would wish on no one.”

By the time Hux arrived, Kylo had already removed his helmet, a vast show of trust, and was speaking to Geraldine of simple interests, listening to her talk of how her favorite thing to do on summer days back on Vand was to take her books down to the lakeside and read there with a large thermos of cold tea to drink. But when the General arrived, his wife immediately stood to greet him, pressing a fond kiss to his lips as Millicent abandoned where she had made herself at home in Kylo’s lap to greet her master. “Lord Ren and I were just having a lovely conversation,” she said. “You know he’s never actually been to Vand? Next time you take shore leave at home, do bring him. I would love to take him to the lake, and Jenison Grange gets few enough guests as it is.”

“I see you’re already halfway through the tea,” he said with a smile.

“I can always make more, Brendol. Now come sit, have some tea.”

Geraldine was a remarkable hostess, smoothing what was usually so rough between Kylo and Hux to where they were able to hold quite the cordial conversation. Somewhere along the way, Kylo found himself smiling to hear Geraldine recount an Admiral’s daughter’s faux pas at some dinner held at the man’s estate on Vand. She wasn’t even telling it as a story of another’s embarrassment, she was speaking of the young woman’s mistake and how Geraldine had copied her to ease the embarrassment and her standing as Mrs. Hux had certainly changed the atmosphere of the dinner. “Next thing you know every last person is using a fork on the Yil Noodles, and those actually using the jeotgarak like they should are actually setting them down to pick up a fork.”

“You’re going to singlehandedly make jeotgarak obsolete, my dearest,” said Hux, warm fondness and amusement in his tone and love pulsing out around him, made stronger when Geraldine laughed. Millicent jumped out of his lap then, and walked into the other room, where she began to meow loudly.

“And that’s my cue to feed her,” said Geraldine. “Wena is off with one of your Lieutenants, Brendol. Jenison Grange might yet have two wives of the military waiting for their husbands’ return.”

“Let their courtship do what it will, my dearest.” Geraldine only smiled and stood, going into the kitchen next door to feed the protesting cat. As the sounds of her moving around filtered through to the sitting room, Hux turned to Kylo and said, “This is the most well behaved I’ve ever seen you.”

“Yes, well, your wife is…” whatever defense he had fell short there. What was he to say? _Your wife is too earnestly good and I can’t see if she’s being false? Your wife is charming and I like her and want her to like me? Your wife is delightful and she’s got every officer wrapped around her finger and I’m getting wrapped up too and don’t know how to stop it?_

“She does have that affect,” said Hux, nodding and sounding proud and fond all at once. There was too much emotion in him now that Geraldine was aboard the ship, and Kylo found himself actually liking that fact, much to his surprise. “My father did many things, and perhaps I am biased when I say it, but the best thing he did in my opinion was match me with Geraldine.”

“She…she has done you good. Jenison Grange is your estate?”

“Hers actually. The Hux family doesn’t have an estate as such, her maiden name was Geraldine Jenison. The Jenison family has a few estates on Vand; they live at an estate called Notting Park most of the time, the Grange was a wedding gift.”

Silence fell, both men listening to Geraldine moving about in the kitchen and her eventual laugh of “Millicent, behave! Food is coming!” followed by a persistent thump. Hux smiled to hear it and said,

“The advantage of a cat, you can throw them across the room and no harm will come to them.” That suited Hux more than Geraldine from what Kylo had seen.

“Where did Millicent come from?” asked Kylo suddenly.

“She was mine, originally. But when I made General and was obliged to spend more and more time away from Vand and the Grange, she stayed behind with Geraldine. I acquired Millicent when I was on Umb, she was a gift.” Kylo nodded, and sipped at the tea. Vand teas, especially in high class circles, were prepared very strong, but Kylo had endured things a thousand times worse than nearly-bitter tea barely abated by the milk this particular style was served with and he wasn’t going to complain.

Geraldine finally returned, and by the time the pot of tea was finished Kylo found himself just as charmed as any of the officers he had scoffed at the day before and wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Because instinct told him to ignore it and end any feelings on the matter, but when she saw him to the door with such a kind open face, he didn’t mind. And perhaps it was the odd fondness that had bloomed for her over tea that bled over to Hux, who held his wife from behind, his arms around her waist as she bid him goodbye.

“The door is always open to you,” she said, and was entirely earnest. “Perhaps not when we’re asleep, since Brendol gets so little, but aside from that.” Kylo nodded, oddly touched by the idea and fonder of this couple than he had been not even five hours previous, and found himself filing away that open invitation for later.

The Hux couple had transformed in his opinion, he found when he dined alone that night, mind reaching out to where the two were sharing dinner together to feel the closeness they had. They had gone from impossible to oddly dear. Hux himself had slowly been making that transition, but it was Mrs. Hux who had brought them to the other side of that regard. And there were so few on that side that their presence was very well marked. How odd.

\------------------

Geraldine’s departure was sadly noted by most of the senior staff and a few petty officers as well. Lieutenant Mitaka and Wena were talking to one another softly off to the side, but the Lieutenant was off duty so they were carefully ignored by the rest. Millicent was safely in Geraldine’s arms, and when she had bid her farewells to the staff who had come to see her off, the cat reached to paw at Brendol Hux’s chest as if bidding her own farewell.

Kylo stood to the side, just watching as the couple made their farewells. They were both sad, he could feel that, even if he couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying. They had said goodbye more properly earlier, in private, but the chaste kiss was plenty public display, no one needed to see more.

Kylo stood away from the rest of the officers, and when she spotted him, Geraldine went to him and said, “It was an honor and a delight to meet you, Lord Ren.”

“The pleasure was mine, Mrs. Hux,” returned Kylo, and he meant it, too.

“I do hope you’ll come visit the Grange if possible. If you are ever near Vand…” Kylo nodded his agreement, and to see it so made a smile spread on the woman’s face. Now Wena was stepping away from Mitaka, and that seemed to be Geraldine’s cue. “I hope to see you again, Lord Ren. Take good care of my husband.”

“He’ll get back to Vand to help you make jeotgarak obsolete, I promise.”

“Good. Until next time, Lord Ren.”

“Until next time, Mrs. Hux.”

Hitching up Millicent into her arms more securely, Geraldine Hux stopped to give her husband one last kiss goodbye before boarding her shuttle and sailing away. Her husband stood there a long time, watching her craft leave the hangar and then watching it jump to hyperspace. It would be a day and a half before she would land on Vand, and if the set of the man’s shoulders said anything, Hux would be unable to relax until she told him she was safely arrived at the Grange.

Kylo felt the absence too, even moments after her craft disappeared. Geraldine, with her plain features and tasteful clothes and kind nature, she had colored the ship in a way that made her easy to miss. Kylo could feel in the minds of a few officers the question of when she would be back, and he found himself asking that same question. How things had changed since he had followed Hux to the hangar in confusion.

He had much to thank Geraldine for, he realized in the days after she was gone and reported safely home to the estate; the sudden smoothness between himself and the General where they had once been rough and clashing, the feeling of being wanted enough to invite him to the estate when he could think of no one doing anything remotely like that before in his life, and also, he thought with a feeling between exasperation and amusement, the ginger hairs from Millicent that persisted and reappeared on his clothes no matter what he did.

She certainly left her mark, he’d give her that.


End file.
